Wake shaping system for a boat

ABSTRACT

A boat comprising a wake shaping system comprising starboard and port wake shaping devices located aft of the transom, each wake shaping plate device comprising a first mounting portion coupled to the transom and a second plate portion pivotably coupled to the first mounting portion. A portion of the second plate potion of each wake shaping device is operable to pivot approximately 90° between a first, non-deployed position behind the transom and a second, deployed position extending below the transom. When the portion of the second portion of the starboard wake shaping device is in the deployed position, a port wakesurf wake is created. When the portion of the second portion of the port of the wake shaping device is in the deployed position, a starboard wakesurf wake is created. When neither wake shaping device is deployed, a symmetrical wakeboard wake is created.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser.No. 14/506,039 which was filed on Oct. 3, 2014, the contents of whichare incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in full.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to a wake shaping system for aboat, and more particularly, to a wake shaping system for wakesurfingbehind an inboard boat.

BACKGROUND

During the first half of the twentieth century, waterskiing emerged as apopular recreational activity, allowing individuals to ski behind a boaton a lake, river, or ocean. The first waterski boats, however, werewooden boats that produced large wakes because of the weight of theboats. In search of a smaller wake, which is advantageous forwaterskiing, the first fiberglass inboard waterski boat was designed andbuilt in the early 1960s. Throughout the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and today,inboard ski boat manufacturers continue to refine ski boat designs toproduce the smallest, softest, cleanest wakes behind the boat at speedsin excess of 25 mph. These competition waterski boats, which are stillmanufactured today, are closed bow, flat-bottomed boats with a directdrive inboard engine mounted in the center of the boat. The shape of thehull is optimized to create small, soft wakes for tournamentwaterskiing, but the hull does not perform well on public waterways,which are often larger and more crowded than private waterski lakes. Inaddition, because the ski rope is attached to a ski pylon in front ofthe engine, passengers cannot sit in the back of the boat while a skieris skiing because the ski rope swings back and forth at head-heightabove the rear seat. As such, a day on the lake for a competitionwater-skier may only include one or two other people.

In the 1990s, inboard boat manufacturers began designing andmanufacturing larger boats as a result of increased demand for boatsthat were comfortable for an entire family and that performed better onlarger, public waterways. At the same time, and a result of the growingpopularity of snowboarding, wakeboarding emerged as a popularalternative to competition slalom waterskiing. Unlike waterskiing, wherea waterskier attempts to stay low on the surface of the water in orderto increase his or her speed back and forth around buoys set in a slalomcourse, a wakeboarder attempts to perform tricks such as flips(“inverts”) or spins when jumping the wakes behind the boat. Therefore,a new style of inboard boat emerged that provided wakeboarders withlarger, firmer wakes needed to perform wakeboard tricks.

Compared to competition waterski boats, wakeboard boats are larger, openbow boats with a deep-V hull, a V-drive engine mounted in the rear ofthe boat, and a tower to attach the tow rope at an elevated point abovethe boat. By placing the engine in the rear of the boat and connectingthe rope to the tower above the boat, wakeboard boats allow passengersto sit in wraparound-style seating while a wakeboarder is towed behindthe boat. Wakeboard boats also include ballast systems to weight thehull of the boat down and displace more water, and therefore generatelarger wakes behind the boat for wakeboarding. These ballast systems maybe in the form of removable ballast bags, factory-installed ballastbags, internal hard plastic tanks, or lead weight positioned throughoutthe boat. With each ballast system, the goal is to create large, firm,and symmetrical wakes approximately 50 to 80 feet behind the boat whenthe boat is travelling between 18 and 25 mph.

In recent years, wakesurfing has emerged as a popular counterpart towakeboarding, allowing a surfer to surf behind the same wakeboard boatwithout having to travel to the ocean. Compared to wakeboarding,wakesurfing is easier to learn, has a lower risk of injury, is performedcloser to the boat, and has become just as popular, if not more popular,than wakeboarding. Wakesurfing, however, requires a different ballastconfiguration in a traditional wakeboarding boat than wakeboarding. Thedesired wakesurfing wake is located on one side (starboard, right, ordriver's side; port, left, or passenger's side) of the boat, creating anasymmetrical wakesurf wake between approximately 5 and 20 feet behindthe boat when the boat is travelling between 5 and 15 mph.

Conventional wakeboard boat ballast systems place hundreds or eventhousands of pounds of water ballast in bags or tanks in the bow,midship, port stern, and/or starboard stern sections of the boat. Forwakeboarding, all ballast is typically filled, creating a large, firm,symmetrical wake behind the boat at wakeboarding speeds. Forwakesurfing, the ballast is only filled on one side of the boat, leavingthe ballast on the opposite side empty. This configuration “sinks” or“lists” one side of the boat, tipping the boat and creating a large,unsymmetrical wake for wakesurfing on the listed side of the boat atwakesurfing speeds.

Conventional wakesurfing ballast configurations, however, have manydisadvantages. First, by weighting only one side of the boat, the boatis unbalanced and difficult to control at slower speeds. After a surferfalls, it is difficult and dangerous to return to the fallen surfer atslower speeds and with reduced visibility. Second, traditional ballasttakes up a large portion of the boat's storage capacity. Third, movingthe ballast from one side to the other to create a surf wake on theopposite side can be difficult, time consuming, and cumbersome. Withremovable ballast tanks, an external pump is needed to fill or empty thetanks with water. These external pumps often leak and require priming inorder to siphon water out of the tanks when emptying. Emptying one sideand filling the opposite side with just one pump may take 20 minutes ormore, depending on the speed of the pump. With internal hard ballasttanks, the ballast tanks may be filled or emptied with internal ballastpumps at the same time, reducing the time to switch sides, but still maytake 10 minutes or more, depending on the speed of the pumps. As aresult, in order to minimize the time spent filling and emptying ballastduring a day on the lake, all wakeboarding is typically done at the sametime, all left-side (port) surfing is done together, and all right-side(starboard) surfing is done together. However, this is inconvenient andrequires undesired advanced planning to set the ballast for each rider'sdesired ballast configuration.

As a result, an improved wake shaping system that can be usedinterchangeably for wakeboarding, left-side surfing, and right-sidesurfing with one ballast configuration and without requiring filling oremptying of individual ballast tanks, listing the boat dangerously toone side, or lifting of the transom, which reduces the size of thewakeboarding or wakesurfing wakes is desired.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Disclosed herein is a wake shaping system for wakeboarding andwakesurfing behind a boat, and preferable for wakesurfing behind aninboard wakeboard boat.

In an embodiment, a boat comprising a wake shaping system forwakeboarding and wakesurfing is disclosed, the boat comprising a hullcomprising a bow and a transom, starboard and port sides, a longitudinalaxis extending from the bow to the transom along a centerline, a lateralaxis extending from the port side to the starboard side substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and a transom axis extendingfrom an upper edge of the transom to a lower edge of the transomsubstantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The wake shapingsystem may comprise starboard and port wake shaping devices located aftof the transom, each wake shaping device comprising a first mountingportion coupled to the transom and a second plate portion pivotablycoupled to the first mounting portion. The second plate potion of eachwake shaping device is operable to pivot between a first, non-deployedposition and a second, deployed position. In the first, non-deployedposition, the second plate portion of each wake shaping device extendsaft behind the transom in a direction substantially parallel to thelongitudinal axis. In the second, deployed position, the second plateportion of each wake shaping device extends outside the side of the hulland below the transom in direction substantially parallel to the transomaxis and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

When the second portion of the starboard wake shaping device is in thedeployed position, a port wakesurf wake is created. When the secondportion of the port wake shaping device is in the deployed position, astarboard wakesurf wake is created. When the second portions of thestarboard and port wake shaping devices are both in the non-deployedpositions, a symmetrical wakeboard wake is created.

In an embodiment, the first mounting portions of the first and secondwake shaping devices are mounted directly to the transom at thestarboard and port first mounting portions, and the first mountingportions of the first and second wake shaping devices are mounteddirectly to the transom slightly away from the starboard and port sidesof the hull and above the lower edge of the transom.

In an embodiment, the second plate portion of the starboard wake shapingdevice pivots relative to the first mounting portion of the starboardwake shaping plate along a starboard pivot axis, wherein the starboardpivot axis is angled along the transom from the centerline to thestarboard side approximately 40° above the lateral axis.

In an embodiment, the second plate portion of the port wake shapingdevice pivots relative to the first mounting portion of the port wakeshaping plate along a port pivot axis, wherein the port pivot axis isangled along the transom from the centerline to the port sideapproximately 40° above the lateral axis.

In operation, when the second plate portion of the starboard wakeshaping device is in the second, deployed position, the second plateportion extends between approximately 2″ and 3″ beyond the starboardside of the hull and extends between approximately 2″ and 3″ beyond thelower edge of the transom. When the second plate portion of the portwake shaping device is in the second, deployed position, the secondportion extends between approximately 2″ and 3″ beyond the port side ofthe hull and extends between approximately 2″ and 3″ beyond the loweredge of the transom.

In an embodiment, the starboard and port worm drives are operable topivot the second plate portions of the starboard and port wake shapingdevices between the first, non-deployed positions and the second,deployed positions. The starboard and port worm drives are controlled byan electronic device or by mechanical means.

The first and second portions of the starboard and port wake shapingplates may be constructed from stainless steel or from fiberglass.

As disclosed herein, the starboard and port wake shaping devices do notprovide lift to the transom and do not list the hull in either thefirst, non-deployed positions or the second, deployed positions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingfigures, in which like reference numbers indicate similar parts, and inwhich:

FIG. 1 illustrates a starboard side view of a boat comprising a wakeshaping system, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a rear three-quarters perspective view of the boat ofFIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a rear view of the boat of FIG. 1, in accordance withone embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a rear view of a starboard wake shaping device in anon-deployed position, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a rear view of the starboard wake shaping device ofFIG. 4 in a deployed position, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a starboard side view of the starboard wake shapingdevice of FIG. 4 in the non-deployed position, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a starboard side view of the starboard wake shapingdevice of FIG. 4 in the deployed position, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a rear view of a port wake shaping device in anon-deployed position, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates a rear view of the port wake shaping device of FIG. 8in a deployed position, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates a port side view of the port wake shaping device ofFIG. 8 in the non-deployed position, in accordance with one embodimentof the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates a port side view of the port wake shaping device ofFIG. 8 in the deployed position, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates a rear view of the port wake shaping device of FIG.8 in the deployed position, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 13 illustrates a first view of an electronic device for controllingthe wake shaping system of FIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 14 illustrates a second view of the electronic device of FIG. 13for controlling the wake shaping system, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 15 illustrates a profile view of mechanical means for controllingthe wake shaping system of FIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the making and using of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated thatthe present disclosure provides many applicable inventive concepts thatcan be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specificembodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways tomake and use the disclosure and do not limit the scope of thedisclosure.

To facilitate the understanding of this disclosure, a number of marineterms are defined below. Terms defined herein have meanings as commonlyunderstood by a person of ordinary skill in the areas relevant to thepresent disclosure. “Starboard” refers to the right-hand, or driver's,side of the boat. “Port” refers to the left-hand, or passenger's, sideof the boat. “Bow” refers to the front of the boat. “Transom” and“stern” refer to the rear of the boat. Terms such as “a”, “an”, and“the” are not intended to refer to only a singular entity, but includethe general class of which a specific example may be used forillustration. The terminology herein is used to describe specificembodiments of the disclosure, but their usage does not limit thedisclosure, except as outlined in the claims.

Various embodiments of a wake shaping device for a boat are described.It is to be understood, however, that the following explanation ismerely exemplary in describing the devices and methods of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, several modifications, changes, andsubstitutions are contemplated.

As a boat travels through water, the hull of the boat displaces waterboth downwardly from the bottom of the boat and outwardly from the sidesof boat, creating a cavity behind the transom of the boat. The displacedwater then re-converges behind the boat, filling the cavity behind thetransom, and creating a wave at a point of convergence. The wave extendsfrom the point of convergence in a V-shape, creating wakes behind theboat that are suitable for wakeboarding or wakesurfing. Because of knownprinciples of fluid dynamics, the port side of the boat displaces waterthat creates the starboard wake past the point of convergence and thestarboard side of the boat displaces water that creates the port wakepast the point of convergence.

Wakeboard boat hulls are specifically designed with a running surfacethat shapes wakes to make optimum wakeboarding wakes that are large,firm, and symmetrical on both sides behind the boat at wakeboardingspeeds and rope lengths, i.e., approximately 50 to 80 feet behind theboat when the boat is travelling between 18 and 25 mph. Therefore,wakeboard boat manufacturers do not want to change the running surfaceof the hull at wakeboard speeds in order to maintain optimum wakeboardwakes for wakeboarders.

In order to surf behind a wakeboard boat, however, the convergence pointshould delayed on one side, creating a large, curling, and asymmetricalwake behind the boat at wakesurfing speeds and rope lengths, i.e.,approximately 5 and 20 feet behind the boat when the boat is travellingbetween 5 and 15 mph. In order to delay the convergence point on oneside, the running surface of the boat should be manipulated. In order tocreate a left-side, or port, wakesurf wake, a starboard wake shapingdevice may be used to manipulate the starboard running surface, delayingthe convergence point on the starboard side and shifting it starboard,therefore creating a smoother port wakesurf wake beyond the convergencepoint that is optimized for left-side wakesurfing. Conversely, in orderto create a right-side, or starboard, wakesurf wake, a port wake shapingdevice may be used to manipulate the port running surface, delaying theconvergence point on the port side and shifting it port, thereforecreating a smoother starboard wakesurf wake beyond the convergence pointthat is optimized for right-side wakesurfing.

Professional athletes, recreational purists, and families often want towakeboard and wakesurf on the same days behind the same boat and inback-to-back sets, any wake shaping device mounted to the transom of theboat should remain fully within the cavity behind the transom of theboat at wakeboard speeds, and therefore not change the running surfaceof the hull while wakeboarding, but should manipulate the runningsurfaces of one side of the boat at wakesurf speeds, and thereforecreate asymmetrical wakesurf wakes.

FIG. 1 illustrates a starboard side view of a boat 100 comprising a wakeshaping system 200, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The boat 100 comprises a hull 102 comprising a bow 104, atransom 106, a starboard side 108, and a port side 110. The wake shapingsystem 200 may be positioned aft of the transom 106 and below awaterline 112 when the boat 100 is floating. In an embodiment, the boat100 may be a wakeboard boat comprising an inboard motor and V-drivetransmission, an internal ballast system, and an elevated tow point, ortower, for attaching a rope for pulling a wakeboarder or wakesurfer bythe boat. In an embodiment, the boat 100 may be a MB Sports B52 21Widebody, a MB Sports F21 Tomcat, a MB Sports F22 Tomcat, a MB SportsB52 23 Widebody, or a MB Sports F24 Tomcat. However, in otherembodiments, the boat 100 may be a direct drive inboard boat, a sterndrive inboard/outboard (I/O) boat, or an outboard boat.

FIG. 2 illustrates a rear three-quarters perspective view of the boat100 of FIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As depicted in FIG. 2, the hull 102 comprises a longitudinalaxis 114 extending from the bow 104 to the transom 106 along acenterline 120, a lateral axis extending from the starboard side 108 tothe port side 110, and a transom axis 118 extending from an upper edge122 of the transom 106 to a lower edge 124 of the transom 106 along atransomline 126. The lateral axis 116 may be substantially perpendicularto the longitudinal axis 114. The transom axis 118 may be substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis 114 along the transomline 126.The boat 100 may comprise and optional center cavitation plate 125 thatmay be operable to control the elevational trim of the bow 104 of theboat 100 relative to the transom 106 of the boat 100.

FIG. 3 illustrates a rear view of the boat 100 of FIG. 1, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted in FIG. 3,the wake shaping system 200 may comprise a starboard wake shaping device200 a and a port wake shaping device 200 b. Both the starboard and portwake shaping devices 200 a, 200 b may be located aft of the transom 106below the waterline 112 and may be mounted directly to the transom 106.The starboard wake shaping device 200 a may be located right of thecenterline 120 and proximate to the starboard side 108 of the hull 102,and the port wake shaping device 200 b may be located left of thecenterline 120 and proximate to the port side 110 of the hull 102. Boththe starboard and port wake shaping devices 200 a, 200 b may be mountedslightly away from the starboard and port sides 108, 110, respectively,towards the centerline 120 and slightly above the lower edge 124 of thetransom 106 such when the wake shaping devices 200 a, 200 b are notdeployed, the wake shaping devices 200 a, 200 b do not interfere withthe running surface of the hull 102 or negatively impact the wakeboardwake behind the boat 100 and remain within the cavity created behind thetransom 106 at wakeboard speeds. The optional center cavitation plate125 may be located at the lower edge 124 of the transom 106 along thecenterline 120.

FIG. 4 illustrates a rear view of a starboard wake shaping device 200 ain a first, non-deployed position, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The starboard wake shaping device 200 a maycomprise a first mounting portion 202 a and a second plate portion 204a. The first mounting portion 202 a may be coupled directly to thetransom 106 at a plurality of mounting apertures 207 a and may be fixedrelative to the transom 106. The second plate portion 204 a may bepivotably coupled to the first mounting portion 202 a with a pivot pin208 a. The second plate portion 204 a may be operable to pivotindependently relative to the fixed first mounting portion 202 a at thepivot pin 208 a and may be operable to pivot approximately 90° or more.The starboard wake shaping device 200 a may further comprise a starboardworm drive 206 a coupled to the transom 106 at a first end and coupledto the second plate portion 204 a at a second end. The starboard wormdrive 206 a may be operable to pivot the second plate portion 204 arelative to the first mounting portion 202 a. In an embodiment, thestarboard worm drive 206 a is a Lenco marine actuator.

As depicted in FIG. 4, the starboard wake shaping device 200 a may bemounted to the transom 106 such that the pivot pin 208 a is angled alongthe transom 106 from the centerline of the hull to the starboard side108 of the hull approximately 40° above the lateral axis 116 of the hullor the waterline. In other embodiments, the starboard wake shapingdevice 200 a may be mounted to the transom 106 such that the pivot pin208 a is angled along the transom 106 from the centerline of the hull tothe starboard side 108 of the hull between approximately 30° and 60°above the lateral axis 116 of the hull or the waterline.

In the first, non-deployed position, the second plate portion 204 a ofthe starboard wake shaping device 200 a extends aft behind the transom106 in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis sothat when the starboard wake shaping device 200 a is not deployed, thesecond plate portion 204 a does not interfere with the running surfaceof the hull or negatively impact the wakeboard wake behind the boat.

FIG. 5 illustrates a rear view of the starboard wake shaping device 200a of FIG. 4 in a second, deployed position, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure. In the second, deployed position,the starboard worm drive 206 a pivots the second plate portion 204 adownwardly so that the second plate portion 204 a is substantiallyparallel to the transom axis and substantially perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the hull. In the second, deployed position, thestarboard wake shaping device 200 a extends outside the starboard side108 of the transom 106 and below the lower edge 124 of the transom 106.When the second plate portion 204 a of the starboard wake shaping device200 a is in the second, deployed position, the convergence point behindthe boat is shifted to the right and a left-side (port) wakesurf wake iscreated.

FIG. 6 illustrates a starboard side view of the starboard wake shapingdevice 200 a of FIG. 4 in the non-deployed position, in accordance withone embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 illustrates a starboardside view of the starboard wake shaping device 200 a of FIG. 4 in thedeployed position, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The starboard worm drive 206 a is operable to pivot thesecond plate portion 204 a approximately 90° from the first,non-deployed position depicted in FIG. 6 to the second, deployedposition depicted in FIG. 7. In the first, non-deployed position, thesecond plate portion 204 a of the starboard wake shaping device 200 aextends aft behind the transom 106 in a direction substantially parallelto the longitudinal axis 114. In the second, deployed position, thesecond plate portion 204 a is substantially parallel to the transom axis118 and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hull114.

FIG. 8 illustrates a rear view of the port wake shaping device 200 b ina first, non-deployed position, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. The port wake shaping device 200 b may comprise afirst mounting portion 202 b and a second plate portion 204 b. The firstmounting portion 202 b may be coupled directly to the transom 106 at aplurality of mounting apertures 207 b and may be fixed relative to thetransom 106. The second plate portion 204 b may be pivotably coupled tothe first mounting portion 202 b with a pivot pin 208 b. The secondplate portion 204 b may be operable to pivot independently relative tothe fixed first mounting portion 202 b at the pivot pin 208 b and may beoperable to pivot approximately 90° or more. The port wake shapingdevice 200 b may further comprise a port worm drive 206 b coupled to thetransom 106 at a first end and coupled to the second plate portion 204 bat a second end. The port worm drive 206 b may be operable to pivot thesecond plate portion 204 b relative to the first mounting portion 202 b.In an embodiment, the port worm drive 206 b is a Lenco marine actuator.

As depicted in FIG. 8, the port wake shaping device 200 b may be mountedto the transom 106 such that the pivot pin 208 b is angled along thetransom 106 from the centerline of the hull to the port side 110 of thehull approximately 40° above the lateral axis 116 of the hull or thewaterline. In other embodiments, the port wake shaping device 200 b maybe mounted to the transom 106 such that the pivot pin 208 b is angledalong the transom 106 from the centerline of the hull to the port side110 of the hull between approximately 30° and 60° above the lateral axis116 of the hull or the waterline.

In the first, non-deployed position, the second plate portion 204 b ofthe port wake shaping device 200 b extends aft behind the transom 106 ina direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis so that whenthe port wake shaping device 200 b is not deployed, the second plateportion 204 b does not interfere with the running surface of the hull ornegatively impact the wakeboard wakes behind the boat.

FIG. 9 illustrates a rear view of the port wake shaping device 200 b ofFIG. 8 in a second, deployed position, in accordance with one embodimentof the present disclosure. In the second, deployed position, the portworm drive 206 b pivots the second plate portion 204 b downwardly sothat the second plate portion 204 b is substantially parallel to thetransom axis and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofthe hull. In the second, deployed position, the port wake shaping device200 b extends outside the port side 110 of the transom 106 and below thelower edge 124 of the transom 106. When the second plate portion 204 bof the port wake shaping device 200 b is in the second, deployedposition, the convergence point behind the boat is shifted to the leftand a right-side (starboard) wakesurf wake is created.

FIG. 10 illustrates a port side view of the port wake shaping device 200b of FIG. 8 in the non-deployed position, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 illustrates a port sideview of the port wake shaping device 200 b of FIG. 8 in the deployedposition, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.The port worm drive 206 b is operable to pivot the second plate portion204 b approximately 90° from the first, non-deployed position depictedin FIG. 10 to the second, deployed position depicted in FIG. 11. In thefirst, non-deployed position, the second plate portion 204 b of the portwake shaping device 200 b extends aft behind the transom 106 in adirection substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 114. In thesecond, deployed position, the second plate portion 204 b issubstantially parallel to the transom axis 118 and substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis 114 of the hull.

FIG. 12 illustrates a rear view of the port wake shaping device 200 b ofFIG. 8 in the deployed position, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present disclosure. As depicted in FIG. 12, the port wake shapingdevice 200 b may comprise the first mounting portion 202 b, the secondplate portion 204 b, the port worm drive 206 b, and may be mounted tothe transom 106 at the first mounting portion 202 b. In an embodiment,in the deployed position, the second plate portion 204 may extendbetween approximately 2″ and 3″ beyond the port side 110 of the hull andmay extend between approximately 2″ and 3″ beyond the lower edge 124 ofthe transom 106. In an embodiment, in the deployed position, the secondplate portion 204 may preferably extend approximately 2.5″ beyond theport side 110 of the hull and may preferably extend approximately 2.5″beyond the lower edge 124 of the transom 106.

As depicted in FIG. 12, in an embodiment, various dimensions of thesecond plate portion 204 b of the port wake shaping device 200 b used tocreate desirable wakesurf wakes are disclosed. A pivot edge of thesecond plate portion 204 b proximate to the pivot pin 208 b may beapproximately 17.250″ long. Moving in a clockwise direction, a loweredge of the second plate portion 204 b extending below the lower edge124 of the transom 106 may be approximately 13.500″ long. An outsideedge of the second plate portion 204 b extending outside of the portside 110 of the hull may be approximately 13.250″ long. A connectingedge of the second plate portion 204 b connecting the outside edge tothe pivot edge may be approximately 2.500″ long. While not depicted inFIG. 12, the dimensions of the second plate portion 204 a of thestarboard wake shaping device 200 a may be inverted and substantiallythe same as the dimensions of the second plate portion 204 b of the portwake shaping device 200 b.

As described in relation to FIGS. 4-12, in an embodiment, the firstmounting portions 202 a, 202 b and the second plate portions 204 a, 204b of the starboard and port wake shaping devices 200 a, 200 b may beconstructed from stainless steel, galvanized steel, fiberglass, wood, orany other material suitable for a marine environment.

FIG. 13 illustrates a first view of an electronic device 300 forcontrolling the wake shaping system 200 of FIG. 1, in accordance withone embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 illustrates a secondview of the electronic device 300 of FIG. 13 for controlling the wakeshaping system 200, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The electronic device 300 may be located at the driver'shelm of the boat, i.e., on a dashboard behind a steering wheel orproximate to the driver's hand. The electronic device 300 may be anyknown controller operable to work in a marine environment. Theelectronic device 300 may comprise a CPU, ROM, and/or RAM, a touchscreen 302, and/or one or more input buttons, switches, or dials 304. Inan embodiment, the electronic device 300 is a Murphy engine monitor anddisplay that is integrated with the wake shaping device 200, ballastsystems, stereo, and cruise control.

In an embodiment, the electronic device 300 may be operable to controlthe wake shaping system 200. As depicted in FIG. 13, in a first view,the electronic device 300 may display percentages of deployment for thestarboard wake shaping device, the port wake shaping device, and theoptional center cavitation plate that may be operable to control theelevational trim of the bow of the boat relative to the stern of theboat.

As discussed in the examples below, 0% may refer to the first,non-deployed positions and 100% may refer to the second, deployedpositions of the starboard and port wake shaping devices 200 a, 200 b.

In operation, if a user selects a “Surf Left” button 306 on theelectronic device 300, for example, the electronic device 300 mayactivate the starboard wake shaping device according to factory or userpresets. When activated, the starboard worm drive may pivot thestarboard wake shaping device approximately 90° from the first,non-deployed position to the second, deployed position. With a “SurfLeft” selection, the port wake shaping device would remain in thenon-deployed position behind the transom of the boat and the optionalcenter cavitation plate may be used, as necessary, to help get the boaton plane. In an embodiment, the electronic device 300 presets forsurfing a left-side, or port, wakesurfing wake may be 0% port wakeshaping device, 0% center cavitation plate, and 100% starboard wakeshaping device.

If a user selects a “Surf Right” button 308 on the electronic device300, the electronic device 300 may activate the port wake shaping deviceaccording to factory or user presets. When activated, the port wormdrive may pivot the port wake shaping device approximately 90° from thefirst, non-deployed position to the second, deployed position. With a“Surf Right” selection, the starboard wake shaping device would remainin the non-deployed position behind the transom of the boat and theoptional center cavitation plate may be used, as necessary, to help getthe boat on plane. In an embodiment, the electronic device 300 presetsfor surfing a right-side, or starboard, wakesurfing wake may be 100%port wake shaping device, 0% center cavitation plate, and 0% starboardwake shaping.

Although not shown, if a user selects “Wakeboard,” both the starboardand port wake shaping devices may remain in the non-deployed positionsbehind the transom of the boat and the optional center cavitation platemay be used, as necessary, to help get the boat on plane. In anembodiment, the electronic device 300 presets for wakeboarding may be 0%port wake shaping device, 0% center cavitation plate, and 0% starboardwake shaping device.

As depicted in FIG. 13, the user may also have the option of controllingthe port wake shaping device, the starboard wake shaping device, and thecenter cavitation plate manually in order to customize the wakeboardingand/or wakesurfing wakes behind the boat.

As depicted in FIG. 14, the second view of the electronic device 300 maydisplay the current speed of the boat, a desired speed of the boat, andthe current wake settings, i.e., Surf Left, Surf Right, or Wakeboard.

FIG. 15 illustrates a profile view of mechanical means 500 forcontrolling the wake shaping system of FIG. 1, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure. The mechanical means 500 may belocated at the driver's helm proximate to a throttle lever and may beused in combination with the electronic device 300 controls discussed inrelation to FIGS. 13 and 14. The mechanical means 500 may comprise asurf side switch button 502, a port wake shaping device toggle switch504, a starboard wake shaping device toggle switch 506, and a centercavitation plate toggle switch 508. The mechanical means 500 may be usedto switch between a left-side wakesurf wake, a right-side wakesurf wake,or a wakeboard wake.

If a user wants to surf a left-side, or port, wakesurf wake, forexample, the starboard wake shaping device toggle switch 506 mayactivate the starboard worm drive and may pivot the starboard wakeshaping device approximately 90° from the first, non-deployed positionto the second, deployed position. In an embodiment, the electronicdevice may display the settings for surfing a left-side, or port,wakesurfing wake and may be 0% port wake shaping device, 0% centercavitation plate, and 100% starboard wake shaping device.

If a user wants to surf a right-side, or starboard, wakesurf wake, theport wake shaping device toggle switch 504 may activate the port wormdrive and may pivot the port wake shaping device from the first,non-deployed position to the second, deployed position. In anembodiment, the electronic device may display the settings for surfing aright-side, or starboard, wakesurfing wake and may be 100% port wakeshaping device, 0% center cavitation plate, and 0% starboard wakeshaping device.

Center cavitation plate toggle switch 508 may be used to control anoptional center cavitation plate to help get the boat on plane and/orcontrol the trim angle of the bow of the boat relative to the stern ofthe boat.

The surf side switch button 502 may be used to switch the side of thewakesurf wake while the boat is travelling and a surfer is surfingbehind the boat with the single touch of a button. For example, if asurfer is surfing on a left-side, or port, wakesurf wake and wants toswitch to a right-side, or starboard, wakesurf wake, the driver of theboat may depress the switch button 502. Via controls from the electronicdevice 300 (not shown), the wake shaping system 200 may switchinstantaneously from 0% port wake shaping device, 0% center cavitationplate, and 100% starboard wake shaping device to 100% port wake shapingdevice, 0% center cavitation plate, and 0% starboard wake shapingdevice.

Conversely, if a surfer is surfing on a right-side, or starboard,wakesurf wake and wants to switch to a left-side, or port, wakesurfwake, the driver of the boat may depress the switch button 502. Viacontrols from the electronic device 300 (not shown), the wake shapingsystem 200 may switch instantaneously from 100% port wake shapingdevice, 0% center cavitation plate, and 0% starboard wake shaping deviceto 0% port wake shaping device, 0% center cavitation plate, and 100%starboard wake shaping device.

Depressing the switch button 502 may further activate a horn, light, orother signaling mechanism that provides a signal to a surfer behind theboat that the wakesurf wakes are shifting and it is the preferred timeto attempt to transfer from a left-side surf wake to a right-side surfwake or vice-versa.

While not depicted in FIGS. 13-15, the electronic device 300 and/ormechanical means 400 may also be used for controlling an internalballast system in the boat. In an embodiment, the electronic device 300or mechanical means 400 may be operable to control one or more ballastgates located at the stern of the boat. When the boat is sitting in thewater and not moving and the ballast gates are opened, one or moreinternal ballast tanks may be filled using gravity until the tanks arefull. After the tanks are full, the one or more gates may be closed,ensuring that the ballast tanks remain full when the boat is running andis on plane. When the boat is running and is on plane, the bow of theboat may be higher than the stern. If the one or more ballast gates areopening while the boat is on plane, the one or more internal ballasttanks may be emptied using gravity until the tanks are empty. After thetanks are emptied and before the boat is stopped again, the one or moregates may be closed, ensuring that the ballast tanks remain empty whenthe boat is stopped and sitting in the water. In an embodiment, theelectronic device 300 or mechanical means 400 may also be operable tocontrol an internal ballast system comprising a plurality of hard tanksor bags filled and emptied by ballast pumps.

In an embodiment, the electronic device 300 may further be operable tocontrol the speed of the boat, control the sound system, and displaywater and/or air temperatures, among various other features.

As disclosed herein, the wake shaping system 200 can be usedinterchangeably for wakeboarding, left-side surfing, and right-sidesurfing with one ballast configuration and without requiring filling oremptying of individual ballast tanks To create advance, large wakeboardand wakesurf wakes, a full ballast configuration is used in conjunctionwith the wake shaping system 200 disclosed herein. To createintermediate, smaller wakeboard and wakesurf wakes, less than fullballast may be used in conjunction with the wake shaping system 200disclosed herein. In addition, the wake shaping system 200 does notrequire dangerous listing of the boat to one side in order to createsurfable wakesurf wakes. The wake shaping system 200 also does not liftthe transom of the boat, which may undesirably reduce the size of thewakeboarding or wakesurfing wakes.

While various embodiments in accordance with the principles disclosedherein have been described above, it should be understood that they havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not limiting. Thus, thebreadth and scope of the invention(s) should not be limited by any ofthe above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only inaccordance with the claims and their equivalents issuing from thisdisclosure. Furthermore, the above advantages and features are providedin described embodiments, but shall not limit the application of suchissued claims to processes and structures accomplishing any or all ofthe above advantages.

It will be understood that the principal features of this disclosure canbe employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope ofthe disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able toascertain using no more than routine experimentation, numerousequivalents to the specific procedures described herein. Suchequivalents are considered to be within the scope of this disclosure andare covered by the claims.

Additionally, the section headings herein are provided for consistencywith the suggestions under 37 CFR 1.77 or otherwise to provideorganizational cues. These headings shall not limit or characterize theinvention(s) set out in any claims that may issue from this disclosure.Specifically and by way of example, although the headings refer to a“Field of Invention,” such claims should not be limited by the languageunder this heading to describe the so-called technical field. Further, adescription of technology in the “Background of the Invention” sectionis not to be construed as an admission that technology is prior art toany invention(s) in this disclosure. Neither is the “Summary” to beconsidered a characterization of the invention(s) set forth in issuedclaims. Furthermore, any reference in this disclosure to “invention” inthe singular should not be used to argue that there is only a singlepoint of novelty in this disclosure. Multiple inventions may be setforth according to the limitations of the multiple claims issuing fromthis disclosure, and such claims accordingly define the invention(s),and their equivalents, that are protected thereby. In all instances, thescope of such claims shall be considered on their own merits in light ofthis disclosure, but should not be constrained by the headings set forthherein.

The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term“comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one,” butit is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more,” “at least one,”and “one or more than one.” The use of the term “or” in the claims isused to mean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer toalternatives only or the alternatives are mutually exclusive, althoughthe disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternativesand “and/or.” Throughout this application, the term “about” is used toindicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error for thedevice, the method being employed to determine the value, or thevariation that exists among the study subjects.

As used in this specification and claim(s), the words “comprising” (andany form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having”(and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and anyform of including, such as “includes” and “include”) or “containing”(and any form of containing, such as “contains” and “contain”) areinclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecitedelements or method steps.

As used herein, words of approximation such as, without limitation,“about”, “substantial” or “substantially” refers to a condition thatwhen so modified is understood to not necessarily be absolute or perfectbut would be considered close enough to those of ordinary skill in theart to warrant designating the condition as being present. The extent towhich the description may vary will depend on how great a change can beinstituted and still have one of ordinary skilled in the art recognizethe modified feature as still having the required characteristics andcapabilities of the unmodified feature. In general, but subject to thepreceding discussion, a numerical value herein that is modified by aword of approximation such as “about” may vary from the stated value byat least ±1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12 or 15%.

The term “or combinations thereof” as used herein refers to allpermutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term.For example, “A, B, C, or combinations thereof is intended to include atleast one of: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC, and if order is important ina particular context, also BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB.Continuing with this example, expressly included are combinations thatcontain repeats of one or more item or term, such as BB, AAA, AB, BBC,AAABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABABB, and so forth. The skilled artisan willunderstand that typically there is no limit on the number of items orterms in any combination, unless otherwise apparent from the context.

All of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein canbe made and executed without undue experimentation in light of thepresent disclosure. While the compositions and methods of thisdisclosure have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, itwill be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may beapplied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps or in thesequence of steps of the method described herein without departing fromthe concept, spirit and scope of the disclosure. All such similarsubstitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art aredeemed to be within the spirit, scope and concept of the disclosure asdefined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A boat comprising a wake shaping system forwakeboarding and wakesurfing, the boat comprising: a hull comprising abow and a transom, starboard and port sides, a longitudinal axisextending from the bow to the transom along a centerline, a lateral axisextending from the port side to the starboard side substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and a transom axis extendingfrom an upper edge of the transom to a lower edge of the transomsubstantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; and the wakeshaping system comprising starboard and port wake shaping deviceslocated aft of the transom, each wake shaping device comprising a firstmounting portion coupled to the transom and a second plate portionpivotably coupled to the first mounting portion; wherein the secondplate portion of each wake shaping device is operable to pivot between afirst, non-deployed position and a second, deployed position; wherein inthe first, non-deployed positions, at least a portion of the secondplate portion of each wake shaping device extends aft behind the transomin a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis; whereinin the second, deployed positions, at least a portion of the secondplate portion of each wake shaping device extends below the transom indirection substantially parallel to the transom axis and substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis; wherein when the second portionof the starboard wake shaping device is in the deployed position, a portwakesurf wake is created; and wherein when the second portion of theport wake shaping device is in the deployed position, a starboardwakesurf wake is created.
 2. The boat of claim 1, wherein the firstmounting portions of the first and second wake shaping devices aremounted directly to the transom at the starboard and port first mountingportions.
 3. The boat of claim 2, wherein the first mounting portions ofthe first and second wake shaping devices are mounted directly to thetransom slightly away from the starboard and port sides of the hull andabove the lower edge of the transom.
 4. The boat of claim 1, wherein thesecond plate portion of the starboard wake shaping device pivotsrelative to the first mounting portion of the starboard wake shapingplate along a starboard pivot axis.
 5. The boat of claim 4, wherein thestarboard pivot axis is angled along the transom from the centerline tothe starboard side approximately 40° above the lateral axis.
 6. The boatof claim 1, wherein the second plate portion of the port wake shapingdevice pivots relative to the first mounting portion of the port wakeshaping plate along a port pivot axis.
 7. The boat of claim 6, whereinthe port pivot axis is angled along the transom from the centerline tothe port side approximately 40° above the lateral axis.
 8. The boat ofclaim 1, wherein when the second plate portion of the starboard wakeshaping device is in the second, deployed position, the second plateportion extends between approximately 2″ and 3″ beyond the starboardside of the hull and extends between approximately 2″ and 3″ beyond thelower edge of the transom.
 9. The boat of claim 1, wherein when thesecond plate portion of the port wake shaping device is in the second,deployed position, the second portion extends between approximately 2″and 3″ beyond the port side of the hull and extends betweenapproximately 2″ and 3″ beyond the lower edge of the transom.
 10. Theboat of claim 1, further comprising starboard and port worm drivesoperable to pivot the second plate portions of the starboard and portwake shaping devices between the first, non-deployed positions and thesecond, deployed positions.
 11. The boat of claim 10, wherein thestarboard and port worm drives are controlled by an electronic device.12. The boat of claim 10, wherein the starboard and port worm drives arecontrolled by mechanical means.
 13. The boat of claim 1, wherein thefirst and second portions of the starboard and port wake shaping platesare constructed from stainless steel.
 14. The boat of claim 1, whereinthe first and second portions of the starboard and port wake shapingplates are constructed from fiberglass.
 15. The boat of claim 1, whereinthe starboard and port wake shaping devices do not provide lift to thetransom and do not list the hull in either the first, non-deployedpositions or the second, deployed positions.
 16. A wake shaping systemfor wakeboarding and wakesurfing, the wake shaping system comprising:starboard and port wake shaping devices, each wake shaping devicecomprising a first mounting portion operable to be coupled to a transomof a boat and a second plate portion pivotably coupled to the firstmounting portion; wherein the second plate portion of each wake shapingdevice is operable to independently pivot between a first, non-deployedposition and a second, deployed position; wherein in the first,non-deployed position, the second plate portion of each wake shapingdevice is operable to extend aft behind the transom of the boat; whereinin the second, deployed position, at least a portion of the second plateportion of each wake shaping device is operable to extend below thetransom of the boat; wherein when the second plate portion of thestarboard wake shaping device is in the deployed position, a portwakesurf wake is operable to be created behind the boat; wherein whenthe second plate portion of the port wake shaping device is in thedeployed position, a starboard wakesurf wake is operable to be createdbehind the boat; and wherein starboard and port worm drives are operableto pivot the second plate portions of the starboard and port wakeshaping devices between the first, non-deployed positions and thesecond, deployed positions.
 17. The wake shaping system of claim 16,wherein the first mounting portions of the first and second wake shapingdevices are operable to be mounted directly to the transom at thestarboard and port first mounting portions.
 18. The wake shaping systemof claim 17, wherein the first mounting portions of the first and secondwake shaping devices are operable to be mounted directly to the transomslightly away from the starboard and port sides of the hull and abovethe lower edge of the transom.
 19. The wake shaping system of claim 16,wherein the second plate portion of the starboard wake shaping devicepivots relative to the first mounting portion of the starboard wakeshaping device along a starboard pivot axis.
 20. The wake shaping systemof claim 19, wherein when the starboard wake shaping device is mountedto the transom, the starboard pivot axis is operable to be angled alongthe transom from a centerline of the boat to a starboard side of theboat at approximately 40° above a lateral axis.
 21. The wake shapingsystem of claim 16, wherein the second plate portion of the port wakeshaping plate device pivots relative to the first mounting portion ofthe port wake shaping device along a port pivot axis.
 22. The wakeshaping system of claim 21, wherein when the port wake shaping device ismounted to the transom, the port pivot axis is operable to be angledalong the transom from a centerline of the boat to a port side of theboat at approximately 40° above a lateral axis.
 23. The wake shapingsystem of claim 16, wherein when the second plate portion of thestarboard wake shaping device is in the second, deployed position, thesecond portion is operable to extend between approximately 2″ and 3″beyond a starboard side of the boat and is operable to extend betweenapproximately 2″ and 3″ beyond a lower edge of the transom.
 24. The wakeshaping system of claim 16, wherein when the second plate portion of theport wake shaping device is in the second, deployed position, the secondportion is operable to extend between approximately 2″ and 3″ beyond aport side of the boat and is operable to extend between approximately 2″and 3″ beyond a lower edge of the transom.
 25. The wake shaping systemof claim 16, wherein the starboard and port worm drives are operable tobe controlled by an electronic device.
 26. The wake shaping system ofclaim 16, wherein the starboard and port worm drives are operable to becontrolled by mechanical means.
 27. The wake shaping system of claim 16,wherein the first and second portions of the starboard and port wakeshaping devices are constructed from stainless steel.
 28. The wakeshaping system of claim 16, wherein the first and second portions of thestarboard and port wake shaping devices are constructed from fiberglass.29. The wake shaping system of claim 16, wherein the starboard and portwake shaping devices do not provide lift to the transom of boat and donot list the boat in either the first, non-deployed positions or thesecond, deployed positions.
 30. The wake shaping system of claim 16,wherein when the starboard and port wake shaping devices are both intheir respective first, non-deployed positions, a symmetrical wakeboardwake is operable to be created behind the boat.